I wanna rent/buy a bicycle in japan and ride north to south and camp along the way but I remember from when i lived in japan that getting a bike is a pain in the ass. Pretty sure a tourist can’t even buy a bike at least without the risks of getting it taken from you by the police since it isn’t registered to you japanese address which you don’t have.
If anyone knows of a way for a tourist to legally buy a bike place tell me.
But my more realistic plan is to rent one but then the problem is that i can’t rent in Akita cycle to Fukuoka and then return the bike in Akita again so can I rent it in one place and drop it off somewhere else?
I can’t be the first person wanting to do this right? so how did other do it?
And an extra question, I know many people who do these trips bring their own bikes in pieces and assemble them later which i also thought about but then how do I prove to the police that the bike is mine since again, it aint registered in the way japanese police wants it to be.
8 comments
I’ve both bought a bike in Japan and brought my bike from Canada. I’ve never had any problems from the police. I don’t know why they would hassle a tourist for no reason. Perhaps take a photo of your bike before you leave for Japan to prove you brought the bike to Japan.
I don’t think you need a Japanese address to buy a bike. I never registered or submitted any papers. There are also rental service that offer roadbikes for daily or weekly terms.
Now technically speaking, a new law in 2020 requires everyone to have insurance whether you own the bike or not. But this is a non-punishable requirement 努力義務, meaning you cannot be penalized for breaking this law.
Journey Across Japan on YouTube, he did it so maybe you can get some pointers there
What part is a pain? You can register it at the store where you buy it.
r/japanlife has situations like this often
I did this you have 2 options all rental bikes will be registered but if you’re planning on doing it for a month+ you might as well buy/bring your own bike and take it to police to get registered.
You’ll be fine, just buy the bike and keep the receipt. No one is going to say anything to you.
I live in Japan. You do not need to register the bike when you buy it. It is optional. The police will not think you have stolen a bike just because it has no yellow sticker. 20 years of riding with no yellow sticker and no problems. All your worries are imaginary.
Also, if you type waddo in youtube you can see my many bike tours. They may give you ideas where to go and what to see.